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10 Life Lessons We Can Learn From Writing A Novel

Theme: Every novel has a theme, and your life should also. Without God directing your paths, the theme will be missing from your life.

Voice: Every writer has a voice, a way of telling the story that uniquely them. You are also unique. You were created to be different than every other person on Earth. In your writing, you’re encourage to find and develop that voice. In life, develop the parts of you that are unique.

Cut unnecessary parts: When we write, we’re admonished to cut anything in the story that doesn’t move in forward. In our lives, we should also fine tune our priorities by cutting out the things that aren’t important. When you’re spending most of your time on activities that don’t move your life forward, you’ll have business and stress, but at the end of your life, there won’t be any lasting significance to your story.

Strong verbs: Writers are encouraged to replace adverbs and weak verb with strong verbs that say the same thing. Are you developing the strengths in your life or are you focusing on the weaknesses.

Outlining and pre-planning: Not every writer preplans his novel, but every person should preplan his life. Set goals and dreams for your life, and plan how you’ll achieve those goals. Writers who outline know that when the story takes them in unexpected directions, they should change the outline to accommodate it. Life sometimes throws us curves. When it does, just rework your goals to accommodate the changes in your life.

Character Arcs: Main characters in a novel have to have arcs. They have to grow and change throughout the course of the story. What are you doing in your life to grow?

Relationships: Every good novel, even non-romances, has character relationships in it. A good life will develop relationships with others.

Plots and subplots: Not every part of our lives fits in a straight line that makes sense. As in a good novel, our lives will have main plots and subplots that sometimes take us in different direction. The important thing is to make sure a subplot doesn’t take over the story from the main plot. Keep your focus.

Scene and Sequel: Every novel has a series of scenes and sequels. Something will happen. The character will make a decision on what to do next or react in some way. That decision or reaction will determine what happens next. In life, we can’t always control what happens to us. But when events happen we can’t control, the decisions and reactions we make determine what will happen next.

Satisfying Ending: We’ve all read novels that don’t have satisfying endings. No matter how good the novel is, a bad ending can ruin it. We also need a satisfying ending to our lives. We all will die someday. When we do, we’ll meet God. A satisfying ending would be for Him to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into my joy.” An bad ending would be for Him to say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” Which ending do you want?

About Tamera Kraft

Tamera Kraft has been a children’s pastor for over 20 years. She is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire For Kids where she mentors other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist. She is also a writer and has curriculum published including Kid Konnection 5: Kids Entering the Presence of God published by Pathway Press. She is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry.